Know Good And Evil Tree Series

The “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” is an important symbolic object in Western culture. In Christian theology, Adam and Eve committed the original sin by consuming the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil even though God had told them not to eat of the tree (Genesis 2:17). This act of disobedience caused disorder in the Creation, thus humanity inherited sin and guilt as a result.

Zhu Wei uses this biblical story, in combination with Chinese cultural elements, to create a large number of related works. For example, the piece “Reconstructed Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil Protected by the Great Chinese God” applies a white and blue vase pattern, which is a signature Chinese cultural design, on the trunk and branches of the tree, resulting in a brand new, multicultural tree of knowledge of good and evil. This tree represents the integration between Western and Eastern value systems, moral standards, and definitions of good and evil. In this piece, the Great Chinese God joins in to protect the reconstructed tree, which stands for a more inclusive standard of good and evil for our world. This series of work expresses the artist’s desire for unity around the world through the amalgamation of cross cultural values. In particular, Chinese people’s contribution to the world should not be limited to the physical production value of providing cheap goods, a shift in focus should be directed to making significant contributions on the ideological level. As one of the most ancient civilizations of this world, thousands of years of Chinese culture and values should be incorporated in the modern world’s belief systems.

The tree of knowledge of good and evil makes an appearance in many of Zhu Wei’s works, representing a conflicting yet unifying point of interest while reflecting the artist’s perspectives on many subjects and themes, especially the anticipation for the future of our imperfect world.